Operating mechanism for manure-spreaders.



J. H. DOWNING.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MANURE SPREADERS.

AIfPLICATlON FILED JULY 26,1915.

1,178,995. Patented Apr. 11,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

5e, v N yQM (QTTOIP/VEYJ THE COLUMBIA PLANDDRAPH co, WASHINGTON. D. C.

J. H. DOWNING.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR MANURE SPREADERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

1,178,995. Patented Apr. 11,1916.

RTTOE/YEYJ STATES ra'rnn me JOHN H. DOW NING, OF MINNEAPOLIS, 1V1 II\TI TI:'ISOELA, ASSIGNOR TO STATE OF MINNESOTA;

OPERATING MECHANEM' F01}, T

s ecification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 11, 1916,

Application filed my 26, 1915. Serial No. 41,906.

' To allwkom it may concern:

Be it known'that I, J OI-IN H. DowNINs, a subject of the King of England, resident. of Minneapolis, county of Hennep n, State of Minnesota, have invented certa n new and useful Improvements in Operating Mechanism for Manure-Spreaders, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to that class of devices designed for regulating the travel of an apron or belt in the bottom of a wagon box for the purpose of accelerating or retarding the feed of the material from the box. V

The object of my present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive construct on by means of which the speed of the feed apron can be increased or stopped entlrely at the will of the operator of the machine.

The invention consists generally 1n various constructions'and combinations, all as hereinafter described and partlcularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawlngs form1ng part of this specification, Figure 1 1s a plan view of a portion of the rear end of a manure spreader with my invention applied thereto, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, illustrating the apron controlling mechanism.

In the drawing, 2 represents a Wagon box, 3 an axle, and 4 carrying wheels.

5 is an apron or belt, operating in the bottom of the wagon box, as usual 1n machines of this type, and driven from a shaft 6; On this shaft is a ratchet wheel 7, the teeth of which are engaged by dogs 8 mounted in a frame 9. This frame is 10111- naled on the axle 6 and has an oscillating movement thereon to feed the ratchet wheel 7 and the apron. A guide 10 is mounted .on

the wagon box, in which a bolt '11, carried by the frame 9, is slidable. A lever 12 1s pivoted at one end on the bolt 11 and provided with a longitudinal slot 13. An arm 14 is pivoted at one end on the wagon box and has a pin 15 passing through the slot 13 and slidable therein and forming a fulcrum for the lever 12. An operating rod 16 extends from the upper end of the arm 14 to a lever at the forward portion of the machine, not shown. By means of this lever and the rod 16, the driver can move the arm 14 back and forth on its pivot, change the position of the fulcrum 15 in the slot 13 and apron.

regulat'ethe degree a oscillation of the lever 12 according to the desired feed of the apron When this fulcrum is moved to the extreme rear end 'ofthe slot 13, the oscillation' of the lever will be so slight that the a movement of the dogs will not be sufficient to operate the ratchet wheel and the feed 7 In the position shown in Fig.2,the fulcrum is at the extreme forward end of the slot andthe lever will in this position have its greatest range of oscillation, and the travelof the feedapron will be correspondingly increased. I I

A; gear 1 7 is mounted on theaxle 3 and a belt 18 connects this gear with a pinion 19 on a shaft 20-. A crank arm 21 is mounted on this shaft and a link 22 pivotally connects this crank'armwith the forward end of the lever 12 and through this connection the lever is oscillated to operate the feed dogs 7 and move the feed apron. A guide bar 23 is mounted on the box 2 to prevent lateral movement of the lever 12 during its vertical oscillation. It is only necessary, therefore, for the driver of the machine to change the position of the arm 14 and easily and quickly rock the lever and vary the feed of the Q apron or stop it entirely. 7

Near the rear end of the apron I mount a heater 24 of ordinary construction, having teeth 25 in the path of the material dis charged by the apron. 1

I do not Wish to be confined to the form of ratchet mechanism herein shown, as it is susceptible, of considerable variation and still per-form substantially thesame functions and produce substantially the same result as far as the operation of the apron is concerned, the essential feature of my invention being the means for mounting the lever and shifting its fulcrum forward and backward to regulate the degree of oscillation.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a manure spreader, a shaft for transmitting motion to a manure carrier, a,

ratchet wheel connected with said shaft, a pivoted frame having dogs engaging the teeth of said wheel on opposite sides of the axis thereof, a rocking arm, a slotted lever pivotally connected with said frame and having a fulcrum on said arm, said arm being free to rock forward and backward in said slot for shifting the fulcrum of said lever to vary the stroke of said frame, and the movement of said ratchet dogs, and mechanism for rocking'said lever.

2. In a manure spreader, the combination with a shaft for transmitting motion to a manure carrier, of a ratchet Wheel connected therewith, dogs mounted to engage the teeth of said ratchet wheel on opposite sides of the center thereof, an arm mounted to rock in a vertical plane, a fulcrum pin carried by said arm, a lever connected with said ratchet dogs and having a longitudinal slot to receive said fulcrum pin, said lever being held against longitudinal movement but free to rock in a vertical plane on its fulcrum, and means for moving said arm forward and backward to shift the fulcrum of said lever and vary the travel of said ratchet dogs, and mechanism for operating said lever in a vertical plane. 1 V i 3. In a manure spreader, the combination with a shaft for transmitting motion to a manure carrier, of a ratchet feed mechanism 7 comprising a wheel, and ratchet dogs therefor, alever pivotally connected With said dogs and having a longitudinal slot therein, a rocking arm having a fulcrum for said lever in sald slot and movable back and forth therein to vary the position of the fulcrum of said lever and the stroke of said dogs, means for rocking, said lever, and shifting means for said arm."

4. A ratchet feed mechanism comprising a ratchet Wheel and transmission shaft, a frame and ratchet dogs mounted thereon to engage the ratchet Wheel, a lever having a pivotal connection at one end with said frame and provided with a longitudinal slot adjacent to said pivotal connection, an upright arm pivoted at a point adjacent to he axis of said wheel to rock in a plane parallel with the plane of saidwheel and provided with a fulcrum pin that is mounted to slide in said longitudinal slot, an operating rod connected to the upper end of said arm for shifting it forward or backward to change the fulcrum of said lever,

a crank arm, and a link pivotally connecting said arm with said lever at the end opposite its pivotal connection with said frame.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of July, 1915.

JOHN H. DOWNING.

Witnesses WM F. MACKINTOSH, W. B. BOURUL.

Copies of this patent may be obtainefifor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

